PanGaia #50 Pagan Identity (download)

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PanGaia #50 - Pagan Identity
"Carl Llewellyn Weschcke — Bringing Magick to the Masses Who is Carl Weschcke? Carl is one of the most influential publisher in Pagan history, the man who brought Paganism to the masses, through his leadership of Llewellyn Worldwide. Carl’s publishing career began when Paganism was believed to be an occult art known only to a few. Today, Llewellyn’s titles dominate the magickal publishing world and are ubiquitous in bookstores both mainstream and magickal. We are pleased to present this exclusive interview with an (heretofore) unsung hero of the Pagan Renaissance.

The theme of this issue is "Pagan Identity" and we begin on the fringes, with an examination of several groups of Pagan "outsiders looking in." We begin with Christo-Pagans with WoodStone’s personal reflection "A Mystical Witch" then, jumping to her polar opposite, we then consider whether Satanists are Pagan in a lengthy Toe-to-Toe section accompanied by Kerry-Leigh Grady's encounter with Satan in "At the Left Hand of the Goddess." We then examine a rapidly-growing movement in "Pagans in Prison: Brothers (and Sisters) Behind Bars." Circling back to the beginning, R. J. Stewart analyzes Pagan culture as it relates to the mainstream in "Outsiders Holding Fast." Further examinations of Pagan subcultures include "Greco-Egyptian Polytheism: Finding Community on the Periphery," and "Otherkin: Awakening the Non-human." Finally, we take a look at Pagans who are affecting the future of our movement in "The Brightest Lights in Our Sky: Today's Most Influential Pagans."

The crux of the issue comes back to drawing boundaries and deciding who is in — and who is out. Satanists, prisoners and Christo-Pagans are test cases for exploring fundamental questions. Do we welcome all seekers on the basis of their self-identification as Pagan, or are there barriers to entry? If we draw a line, on what do we base it? If we create a border, how do we enforce it? The answers to these questions will determine the shape of Paganism for generations to come. Let us ponder them long and well.

80 pages, edited by Anne Newkirk Niven, released April 2009.

This is the last issue of PanGaia as a stand-alone title; in summer 2009, PanGaia and newWitch joined forces in a stronger, bigger Witches & Pangans magazine for all Pagans.